When it comes to need-based evangelism, we have two extremes.
Meeting Physical Needs Only
On the one side, we have the people who focus only on meeting people’s physical needs. These are the social-gospel churches, which focus on need-based evangelism. They say things like, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” or “An empty stomach has no ears.” I would not argue with these proverbs, as they are true. But I would add a proverb of my own: “Don’t let busy hands tie your tongue.” Sometimes these churches get so busy loving and helping people that they never get around to telling others the truth about God, sin, Jesus Christ, and eternal life.
Meeting Spiritual Needs Only
The other church extreme criticizes such efforts as a waste of time and resources. What good is it, they ask, for people to go to hell with nice clothes and a full stomach? They argue that a person’s eternal destiny is more important than any earthly comfort. These churches say things like, “It’s our job to preach; it’s God’s job to save” and “People are destroyed from lack of knowledge, not from lack of food” (alluding from Hosea 4:6). There is truth in these sayings as well.
The Balance of the Gospel
But both sides, with their proverbs and passionate appeals, have missed the overarching message of the gospel, that it is good news for both the body and the spirit. For both temporal and eternal life. The gospel is not just about life here and now, nor is it about life in the hereafter. It is about both. The gospel is the full-orbed message about the claims of Jesus on both our present and eternal life. To focus on one life or the other is a serious mistake.
And, we must be a reflection of Christ in all things, both in word and deed.
Yes, yes!
How about love based evangelism?
Yes! Absolutely. I will try to encourage this sort of approach in future posts.
Here are a couple of items that I think help with this topic.
http://www.roughhewnministries.com/wordpressstuff/index.php/needs-based-evangelism/
http://www.roughhewnministries.com/wordpressstuff/index.php/jesus-the-communicator/
I have been going to church since I was five days old and I have yet to run across one that is totally a social-gospel one. I have yet to find what that was “so busy loving and helping people that they never get around to telling others the truth about God, sin, Jesus Christ, and eternal life”.
All of the churches that I have known have fallen much closer to the other end of the spectrum.
My experience has been that many people do not “hear” the “preaching” that consists of words only. I have observed that this holds true even for many who have “attended church” for years.
Show me the love of Jesus, show me that you care about me and others and then I may listen to what you have to say. Ya’ know, if I think you’re the real thing, I’ll ask you about this stuff and I’ll really listen to your answers.
Sam,
You are probably right. The “social gospel” approach really is a sliding scale.
Sam,
I am with you on this one. I have never met a church that was so focused on meeting needs that they neglected the gospel altogether. I also have never gone out and served and met people’s needs without them asking me why I am doing what I am doing. Just by answering this question, we are presenting the gospel.
I agree with everything you say here, we call it “earning the right to speak”, you prove to them you really care and then they invite you to speak into their world. We do not get the right to speak to them just because you think you have the answers they need.
FedEx,
President,
Men of Praise Motorcycle Ministry
Amen Sam. The voice of our culture.
Also, James 2:14-18 addresses this issue. Faith and Works working together.
Well said. Christ led by love and through a personal relationship. It’s the best approach in my opinion. Physical needs based is impersonal thus just fulfilling a temporal physical need. Spiritual needs based fills a more permanent need but lacks personal aspects leaving an individual lonely, often confused in the now.
Yes. I have often seen relationships built ONLY so that the Christian can evangelize the other person. But when the person says they are not interested, the Christian walks away from the relationship, which shows it was never genuine to begin with.